Ohio State’s Urban Meyer to retire after Rose Bowl

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer announced his retirement Tuesday, citing health reasons and a difficult year that included a three-game suspension over his handling of domestic-violence allegations against a now-fired assistant coach. He will depart after the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

Meyer, 54, is leaving at the top of his career after seven years at the Big Ten school and three national championships (two at Florida). He has an 82-9 record with Ohio State. Meyer has an arachnoid cyst in his brain that causes severe headaches, and he has shown obvious effects of being in pain on the sideline this season.

At a packed news conference, Meyer explained that the headaches became severe last season during Ohio State’s game at Penn State and have become a persistent problem this season. He didn’t cite only his health for stepping away. Meyer said he believed he no longer could coach the way he has coached, from his early days at Bowling Green to Utah, Florida and the Buckeyes.

“The style of coaching I’ve done for 33 years is very intense, very demanding. I tried to delegate more and CEO more and the product started to feel ...” he said, not finishing his thought. “I didn’t feel I was doing right by our players” and by Gene Smith, the athletic director.

Urban Meyer

Titles: Three national championships (two at Florida, one at Ohio State). One of three coaches to win national titles at two schools.

Bio: Native of Ashtabula, Ohio. Played two years of minor-league baseball in the Atlanta Braves’ system before graduating from the University of Cincinnati. Started career as an intern at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1986. The following year, joined head coach Earle Bruce’s staff at Ohio State and spent two years as a graduate assistant while pursuing a master’s degree in sports administration. Worked as an assistant at Illinois State, Colorado State and Notre Dame before taking head-coaching job at Bowling Green.

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Meyer said leaving would have been more difficult if the program wasn’t healthy. The Buckeyes are 12-1 after winning the Big Ten and, Meyer said, he felt good that assistant coach Ryan Day will become the 25th head coach of the program with which Meyer won a national title in 2014 after those two at Florida (2006, 2008).

“You want to hand it off to someone who could make it stronger,” Meyer said.

Day led the Buckeyes while Meyer was suspended for three games to start this season over his role in the handling of assistant coach Zach Smith, who was accused by his ex-wife of domestic abuse.

Meyer said he knew about the allegations against Smith — grandson of former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce — but wasn’t sure they were true and kept Smith on staff because no criminal charges were filed. The university cited that lapse in suspending Meyer after an investigation.

A report issued by an investigative committee left a lasting stain, detailing behavior by Meyer that could have taken down a coach of lesser stature. The investigation showed he tolerated bad behavior for years from Smith, including domestic-violence accusations, drug addiction, lies and other acts that directly clash with the values Meyer touts publicly.

Meyer acknowledged the investigation was among the reasons for his decision: “The decision was the result of cumulative events.”

The announcement came as the Buckeyes begin preparation for the bowl game against Washington and less than three weeks before the early signing period, giving recruits time to change their minds. Meyer said he had to decide before the Dec. 19 signing day.

This season’s success was nothing new for Meyer, who thrived at Utah before he left for Florida in 2005 and rocketed to the top of the coaching ranks, a peer of Alabama head coach Nick Saban in terms of respect and ability. After leaving Florida because of health concerns, he took the Ohio State job before the 2012 season after Jim Tressel was forced out for lying to the NCAA amid a memorabilia-for-tattoos scandal.

It appeared to be a dream job for Meyer, a Toledo native. His contract was extended in April by two years through 2022, increasing Meyer’s salary to $7.6 million in 2018 with annual 6 percent raises.

Ohio State now turns to Day, a second-year Ohio State assistant who had not been a head coach before he subbed for Meyer this season.